The Commission on Elections (COMELEC) stated that it will not oppose the potential postponement of the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) to transfer its funds for crisis response. 

However, the decision will still depend on the Congress, according to COMELEC Chairman George Erwin Garcia. The commission clarified that they can offer suggestions to Congress, and they will respect its final decision.

“Yan ay isang absolute na diskresyon ng ating Kongreso. Hindi pupwedeng makialam si COMELEC. Maaari kaming magbigay ng suhestiyon, rekomendasyon, pero sa bandang huli sila po ang may desisyon,” Garcia said

[“That’s an absolute discretion of our Congress. The COMELEC cannot interfere. We may provide suggestions, recommendations, but ultimately, the decision is theirs.”]

Deputy Speaker and Bacolod City Representative Alfredo “Albee” Benitez recently proposed to temporarily postpone the BSKE and utilize the funds to support crisis response. 

According to the commission, there are 19 billion pesos fund allocated for the BSKE; 3 billion of which has been utilized for the preparations. They also clarified that the remaining funds have not yet been released to them and are still under the Department of Budget and Management (DBM).

With reports from Dante Amento